George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are buoyant about the potential of Mercedes as the 2024 season progresses, expressing optimism that the W15 demonstrates promising speed and untapped potential.
Mercedes embarked on the season with a determination to rectify the shortcomings of 2022 and 2023. During these seasons, the Silver Arrows struggled to leave a mark in Formula 1’s latest ground effect era, managing just one victory across both campaigns.
Following significant changes to their setup over the winter, there were promising early indications. Hamilton and Russell showcased Mercedes’ potential by topping the charts on the first day of practice at the Bahrain opener.
Additionally, Russell secured an impressive position on the second row of the grid, only to encounter challenges during the race due to car cooling issues.
Despite facing stiffer competition at the ultra-fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia for the second round of the season, where they were outpaced by Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin in both qualifying and the race, both drivers believe that the W15 provides a solid foundation.
They anticipate unlocking further performance as the season progresses.
“I think you’ve only got to look at the potential and the performance we showed in FP1 and FP2 in the last two races,” Russell stated. “We were genuinely quick and the performance went away from us into qualifying – we have some ideas why that may have been.
“I think it’s also important just to remember we’ve only done three days of practice, and two races, and I think if you compare that to a football team.
“If they’ve done three days of training together the first two games of the season they’ll still be understanding how to get the most out of each other and maximize the team.
“So, that’s sort of where we’re standing right now and it’s so close out there between the four teams after Red Bull, so it can easily swing.”
Hamilton, who is set to join Ferrari at the conclusion of the season, echoed Russell’s sentiments by refuting the notion that Mercedes is grappling with a car as demanding as its W14 and W13 predecessors.
“It’s definitely not the evil sister or anything like that,” Hamilton stated. “I think we have an amazing car and there’s a lot of potential in it, and I think we just haven’t maximized it through set-up and through, ultimately, mistakes.
“We were obviously not happy with the performance of those first couple of races but I think there’s a lot more potential in it that we haven’t quite extracted yet. That’s what everyone’s focus is on, just trying to understand the car, and we’re hoping this weekend is a step forward.
“A huge amount of work has gone on – everyone’s heads are down in the numbers and I feel positive for this weekend. We’ve had two not such great races but there’s a long way ahead.”
Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Mercedes occupies the fourth position in the constructors’ standings with 26 points. They trail McLaren by two points, Ferrari by 23 points, and Red Bull, the current leaders, by 61 points.
